


Just Talk

by That_stupid_girl



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Also Lena is generally bad at taking care of herself, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Lena Luthor is a Gay Mess, technically spoilers for American Horror Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 11:52:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13123164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_stupid_girl/pseuds/That_stupid_girl
Summary: "And, look, Lena prides herself on her decorum, okay? She masks her emotions like a pro and she’s calm under pressure, but holy shit does she want to knock this arrogant ass of a man’s teeth out. Lena feels her pulse pick up as she realizes what she’s about to do."orThe one where Lena makes a split-second decision during a press conference and tells the whole world her secrets; Maggie comes to comfort her until Alex and Kara are finished fighting aliens.





	Just Talk

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. this started out kind of in response to all the sexual assault allegations of late, but just turned into Maggie big-sistering Lena.  
> 2\. this isn't cannon, but it's also not not-cannon; just have pretty much ignored any of the actual story line, but it's the same universe, just without the biggest messy things that happened in the show.  
> 3\. the sexual assault stuff is all memories, but it might be kind of graphic? i'm not sure, but still.

Lena reads through the text from Kara— _good luck on your press conference! alex maggie and i are watching from my apartment. i’m sure you’ll do great!_ ❤️❣️❤️—one more time before sending back a pink, sparkly heart. She slides her phone back into her purse and takes a deep breath. She’s done at least a hundred press conferences by now—or at least stood by while members of her family conducted them—but it’s still one of her least favorite parts of the job. She hates cameras and she hates public speaking and Kara’s not even going to be in the audience for this one.

Besides, it’s a sensitive subject; important, but still hard for her to talk about like this, in front of so many people like it’s not so personal. She takes another breath and steps out onto the stage, walking up to the podium.

It’s a little too warm in the building for her liking, but it’s halfway through November and too cold, even in California, to comfortably hold the conference outside today.

Her speech is fairly short, doing little more offering LCorp’s full support to the women that came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Jeffrey Moore and promising to break off ties with Moore himself as well as his company. The first two questions are tame, too; a redheaded woman asks whether she had prior knowledge of Moore’s actions—she did not—and a young man asks how LCorp plans to cope with the loss of Moore’s partnership. The third reporter Lena calls on—a man who looks about thirty—stands up, pen and paper in hand, and looks her in the eyes as he asks his question, slow and clearly meant to taunt.

“Ms. Luthor, why should we believe these women are telling the truth? Mr. Moore is an important partner of LCorp. Besides, last year the woman who accused the CFO of Moore‘s company of assault admitted she had been lying. Why should we assume these cases are any different? Are we supposed to just believe that all men are rotten?”

And, look, Lena prides herself on her decorum, okay? She masks her emotions like a pro and she’s calm under pressure, but holy _shit_ does she want to knock this arrogant ass of a man’s teeth out. Lena feels her pulse pick up as she realizes what she’s about to do.

Back at her apartment, Kara grinds her teeth. She can hear Maggie muttering under her breath on the other side of Alex, but Kara’s too furiously distracted to focus on what she’s saying. Besides the fact that Lena’s probably never been wrong about anything in her entire life, Kara Danvers, CatCo reporter, was at that press conference, the one with the victims, and she could hear how hard the women’s hearts were beating; she knows how shaky shallow their breaths were.

On the TV screen, Kara sees Lena steel herself; she grips the podium with both hands and takes a deep breath. Kara focuses in on her heartbeat on the other side of town; it sounds like it’s going to beat out of her chest.

“When I was ten years old,” Lena starts—a little shakier than Kara’s ever heard her in public—and Kara hears Maggie gasp on the other end of the couch. She looks up at her, worried, as Maggie brings her hand up over her mouth. She looks like she might start crying.

“When I was ten years old,” Lena repeats, firmer, “my father had some of his business associates over for dinner, drinks, and discussion. I do not know how late these men stayed at our house. I went to bed at 8:30, as I did every other day of that year. After I had gone to sleep, one of these men came up to my room. He woke me up and made me get out of my bed. He told me he would kill me if I told anyone about anything he was about to do. He told me he would tell my parents if I disobeyed him. I was ten years old. I did not understand what he was doing, so I believed that my parents would punish me for whatever shameful thing this was.

“He made me take off my Star Wars nightgown and my pink underwear. He touched me all over: on my stomach, my face, where my breasts would have been had I already hit puberty and not been ten years old, on top of and under my underwear. He made me stand still and watch as he masturbated. He washed himself off in my bathroom as I put my clothes back on. He told me my father was a lucky man. I did not sleep the rest of that night. I did not sleep more than ten total hours the following week. This was the first time a man touched me without my permission.” Lena takes a shaky breath. Her voice is steady, but her heart is beating so quickly Kara’s almost worried she might be going into cardiac arrest.

On the couch in Kara’s apartment, Maggie cries hot, angry tears, Alex fumes, and Kara sits shock-still. If Maggie had been asked yesterday whether she thought Lena Luthor had ever been sexually assaulted, she would have said yes. That does not, however, negate the shock she feels now, hearing Lena tell this story to the entire world on live television. She is so, _so_ proud of her, and she is so, _so_ sad. She swipes at the tears on her cheeks, hating herself for crying when Lena is not. Alex grabs her hand; she squeezes too tight but Maggie lets her. She sees Alex grab Kara’s fingers on the other side, pressing even harder than she is with Maggie.

On screen, Lena opens her mouth to speak.

“The last time a man touched me without my permission was two days ago in a meeting for L-Corp, of which I am the CEO. This man, who is by no definition my superior, told me, as the meeting was ending and those in attendance dispersing, that I had a ‘nice ass.’ He then slapped my butt and told me that if I ever wanted to pull the stick out of it, I knew where to find him.

“Jeffrey Moore has made me feel uncomfortable to be in any room with him, never mind alone with him, more times than I can recall, but regardless of my own feelings about Moore or my own history, it is important that we as a society work to destigmatize the action of coming forward when someone has hurt you. While I personally believe that Ms. Adams only retracted her accusations of Moore’s CFO because she was paid off, I understand that there is no way for me to prove that she was not lying.” Kara watches as Lena pauses to take a deep breath, working to calm down her beating heart.

“Even if Ms. Adams was lying, her false accusations would not negate the actions of countless other men _and_ women who have committed sexual violence against others. Ninety-eight percent of the time, someone is telling the truth when they come forward with allegations of sexual assault. This is a problem that plagues our world, and it is important that we do what we can to stop this abuse that is entirely too common. The bigger issue is that my story is not unique. The stories of the women who spoke on Friday are not unique, but I am incredibly impressed with their bravery in publicly calling out their abuser in order to prevent him from hurting others in the future. Seven women spoke to you yesterday; I believe all of them, and I have statistics to back me up. There is no rational reason not to believe those who came forward. I believe the women.” Lena pauses, loosening her grip on the podium slightly. Kara leans forward, furious at the man who prompted such a heartfelt response.

“Thank you,” Lena adds a little awkwardly. “I will be taking no more questions.” She steps away from the podium, and Kara listens as she moves behind the makeshift stage, calling for her driver to take her home. Kara turns toward Maggie, who is still crying and making no attempt to stop, and her shell-shocked sister.

“Is it okay… Do you think— Can we go see her?” Kara asks, smaller than Maggie, at least, is used to hearing her.

“Of course,” Alex says at the same time Maggie tells her she thinks that’s a great idea.

They’re already putting on their shoes—Maggie’s already changed from Nike tempos and a tank top into maroon joggers and a long sleeve henley—when Alex and Kara’s phones ring. Alex swears under her breath, and Kara looks like she might start crying. They both answer, anyway. Maggie doesn’t pay much attention to their conversations, already knowing what the outcome will be. By the time they hang up, Kara is crying.

“Alex,” she starts, then raises a hand to her mouth in an attempt to muffle a sob.

“I know,” Alex soothes, pulling Kara into her chest. “I know, but we have to go.” Kara pulls away, wiping at her eyes.

“But she’s, Lena’s _alone_ , Alex. I can’t—” Kara takes a deep breath.

“I can still go,” Maggie offers, drawing the attention of both Danvers. “I can go and be with Lena until you two can get over there. That way you don’t have to worry too much. We can’t have you unfocused, Kara.”

Alex is on board immediately, but it takes a couple minutes to convince Kara. Once she’s sure Maggie is genuine in her concern, though, her own worry seems to abate a little.

“Okay,” Kara sighs. “I’ll text her doorman to let you in. We’re buds.” Maggie can’t help but crack a smile at that.

Maggie takes an Uber to Lena’s apartment and can’t stop herself from whistling when she sees it, because, _Jesus_ this woman is rich. She feels underdressed. She walks into the lobby and the doorman—a kind looking man named Andrew—stops her.

“Kara said she told you I was coming?” Maggie asks. “To see Lena.” He nods.

“Right, of course. I’ll show you to the elevator.” He leads her toward an elevator that needs a key code to open and tells her to press the top button. “The second door,” he says before stepping back toward the middle of the lobby. Maggie nods as the doors close.

When she steps out of the elevator, Maggie realizes that the second door is also the last door, because there are only two apartments, because, again, Lena Luthor is super rich and _at least_ a millionaire. Still, she knocks on Lena’s door. A few seconds later, it opens, revealing Lena in a dark grey National City University sweatshirt that’s about two sizes too big and a pair of leggings, with her arms wrapped around her middle. She’s wearing black glasses and she has no makeup on. Maggie’s never seen her look this young.

“Detective,” Lena greets, a second too late to not be awkward. Maggie smiles at her anyway.

Maggie can see past Lena into the room. There’s a half-full, fairly large bottle of scotch on Lena’s coffee table with a mostly empty glass beside it. Maggie notices the plastic wrapping from around the cap on the table, too, and Maggie’s immediately worried that Lena has downed half that bottle in what can’t have been more than forty-five minutes since she’s been home. Lena doesn't move from the doorway.

“Can I come in?” Maggie finally asks, which seems to kickstart Lena’s good hostess upbringing.

“Oh! Of course. Sorry,” Lena says, stepping out of the way to let Maggie into her apartment.

“Alex and Kara wanted to come, but they both got called into work,” Maggie says. “Separately,” she adds at the same time Lena says, “I saw” and glances back toward her muted TV on which footage of Supergirl fighting a group of aliens is playing. Maggie doesn’t even flinch at Lena’s drunken half-confession that she knows who Kara actually is; the glasses do nothing, really, and besides, Maggie’s pretty sure Lena’s in love with the girl.

“Can I, can I offer you a drink?” Lena asks, her voice a little too high to mean she’s comfortable. Maggie smiles at her even as she pads toward the couch and the liquor bottle on the coffee table.

“No thanks,” Maggie says. “I’m trying not to drink so much to help Alex cut down.” Lena’s face burns and Maggie winces as she sees the way her fingers fumble at the admission.

“Right. Of course. Sorry,” Lena says softly.

“Don’t be sorry. Have you eaten?” Maggie asks, already knowing that the answer will be no.

“Today?” Maggie almost laughs, but ends up frowning instead.

“Yeah. This evening. Have you had dinner?” She looks toward Lena, who looks like she’s trying to come up with a good excuse but who also looks like she might start crying.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Maggie says, making sure Lena knows there’s nothing accusatory in her statement. “Can I buy you some food?” Maggie asks. Lena’s head shoots up, fingers still playing with the top of the bottle.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Detective. I’m sorry.” Maggie frowns again.

“Lena. You need to eat, and I’m hungry, too. Can I order some food?” Lena shrugs, apologizing again. Maggie decides that it’s as close to a yes as she’s going to get.

“Are you vegetarian or vegan?” Maggie asks.

“Whatever you want to get is fine, Detective,” Lena says.

“Okay, but are you vegan or just vegetarian? I’m not going to be mad at you for answering, you know.”

“Vegetarian,” Lena says after a pause.

“Me too. Is Indian okay?” Maggie asks.

“Indian is fine,” Lena says, slightly distracted and now curled into the corner of her couch.

Maggie’s turned away while she’s on the phone with the restaurant, but she can hear Lena unscrewing the cap of the bottle and pouring more scotch. From the sounds of it, it’s at least half a glass. By the time she turns around Lena’s glass is empty again, but the lid for the bottle is on the coffee table.

Maggie removes her shoes and coat, taking her phone but leaving the rest of her things on top of and under Lena’s counter. As Maggie walks toward the couch, Lena tries to get up—to do what, Maggie’s not sure—and trips over nothing. Maggie reaches out an arm to steady her. Lena blushes.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles.

“Here,” Maggie says, bending down to put the cap back on the bottle. “I think that’s enough for tonight.” Maggie takes the bottle into the kitchen, opening cabinets until she finds one with the rest of Lena’s (worryingly large supply of) liquor. Lena’s still standing awkwardly when Maggie closes the cabinet and turns back around. She moves back over and helps the younger girl settle back onto the couch. Lena pulls the sleeves of her sweatshirt over her hands as Maggie sits down beside her.

“Is that your sweatshirt?” Maggie asks, trying to hide a smile as she crosses her legs under her.

“I, no. It’s Kara’s,” Lena says, ducking her head slightly.

“And you’re wearing it,” Maggie says, the glee evident in her voice.

“It, it smells like her. It makes me feel better,” Lena admits quietly.

“That’s gay,” Maggie says, grinning. Lena’s face reddens.

“No, that’s not what I… Detective, Kara and I are just friends, I promise. I’m not trying to…” she trails off, glancing up at Maggie and the half amused, half concerned look she wears.

“Lena,” Maggie starts, eyes joking but soft. “You do know I’m gay, right?”

“Yes, of course, I just… Kara and I are just friends, Detective.”

“Alright. You are gay though, right? Or queer, at least?” Maggie asks, and she looks so normal, so kind and caring and casual, that Lena nods. Or half nods, half shrugs, but it’s close enough. Maggie keeps quiet, waiting for Lena to speak.

“I am… I am gay, yes,” she says quietly, and hates that’s she’s almost shaking as she says it. Maggie looks at her for a moment, head cocked to the side.

“Are you out to many people, Lena?” Maggie asks, her eyes squinted slightly. Lena drops her head in embarrassment. She can’t believe this is what’s happening tonight.

“No,” she says, barely above a whisper.

“Who are you out to, Lena?” Maggie asks, and Lena can’t help but think she keeps repeating her name to ground her, to remind her that she is more than those she knows.

“Formally? Or…” Lena can’t see it, but Maggie smiles.

“Formally, sure.”

“Well, you, and Lex, and… Well, Jack’s dead, so. I guess that’s it,” Lena admits, feeling smaller and smaller with each word. Her fingers start to pick at the palm of her other hand without her permission.

“And informally?”

“A girl I… A girl I went to high school with, Veronica. Two, maybe three, of my college roommates. Lillian. I guess J’onn must know. Kara, probably. Jess. And, um, four other women,” Lena says, flushing in shame at the embarrassingly small amount of people who know such a simple fact about her. Maggie’s small fingers gently pull Lena's hands apart. Lena blushes even deeper, and Maggie doesn’t take her hand off Lena’s, instead rubbing her thumb lightly against Lena’s skin.

“And obviously a lot of the public suspects, but it’s… Lillian never wanted me telling people anything personal, especially something like this—dirty laundry and all—and, well, I’m kind of a coward, you know, so…” Maggie squeezes her hand.

“That’s not true, Lena,” she says softly. Lena scoffs but can’t bring herself to pull her hand away.

“Please, Detective. I am twenty-four years old and before tonight I had told two people that I’m gay. One of them was a man I dated for three years, and the other my psychopathic brother.” Maggie sighs.

“Alex didn’t tell anyone until she was almost twenty-seven,” Maggie says.

“That’s different, Detective. She didn’t even know.”

“You can call me Maggie, Lena. And not being out doesn’t make you a coward. Besides, what you did tonight was really brave.” This time, Lena pulls her hand away, pressing her fingers under her glasses and into her eyelids.

“It was stupid is what it was,” she says, fingertips still rubbing away what she hopes won’t turn into a headache.

“It wasn’t,” Maggie says, firm and authoritative and a lot like when she arrested Lena. “Lena,” she says, and Lena finally looks back up at her. Maggie looks defiant and kind. She refuses to let Lena avoid her gaze. “You are a wonderful person. You are brilliantly smart. You are unbelievably kind. You are good-hearted. You are beautiful. You are driven. You are resourceful. And you are brave.” Lena finds it harder and harder to hold Maggie’s gaze as she continues, and she can feel her face growing redder and redder as Maggie speaks. When Maggie’s done, Lena can only shrug. Maggie sighs.

“Well, I guess that will do, but I want you to understand that I believe every word of what I just said, okay?” Lena shrugs again.

“Alright. Why don’t we watch something a little less nerve wracking,” Maggie says, motioning to the screen still showing footage of Kara and grabbing Lena’s remote off the coffee table and switching to Netflix. “What’re you watching now?”

“American Horror Story, kind of. I don’t love scary stuff, but Kara talks about it all the time and I haven’t the heart to tell her I haven’t seen it so I thought I should go ahead and get it over with,” Lena explains. Maggie rolls her eyes.

“Again, gay.” Lena blushes but doesn’t correct her. Maggie finds her recently watched and sees that Lena is less than ten minutes into the pilot. She raises her eyebrows at her.

“Yes, well, I tried to tell you I’m a bit of a coward. I don’t like watching things like this alone,” Lena shrugs. “I only got halfway through the theme.” Maggie finds herself smiling.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m here to protect you,” she says, all dramatic bravado, as she scoots closer to Lena, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Lena laughs and finds that she doesn’t quite mind the physical contact, especially considering how easily scared she is.

Maggie presses play and they watch as the family moves into the house, as Violet gets screamed at by some pretty girls, as the mother goes through the house and meets Jessica Lange, as Tate talks about all his fucked up. A little over ten minutes after they start watching, the screen cuts from a shot of Tate to an out of focus razor blade as he talks about blood and Lena feels her heart rate speed up. She can tell what’s going to happen on screen and she really doesn’t need to see this right now—doesn’t _want_ to see this right now. She hasn’t hurt herself like that in over a year, but it’s been a shitty day and a shitty week and Maggie is touching her enough that she’ll notice if Lena’s uncomfortable. Lena swallows and clenches her jaw against its trembling.

After that, there’s a quick shot of Violet cutting herself, of the pull of a razor blade and blood that Lena knows is just a little too thin to be real. She breathes out through her nose. The show cuts back to Tate and she thinks maybe it will be okay.

And then Tate says the words “cut themselves” and Lena can’t help but flinch slightly. She tries to play it off as a cough but this is starting to seem like it’s going to end poorly for her. It goes back to Violet’s bloody arm after a moment and Lena squeezes her eyes shut. She feels Maggie shift and glance down at her. Lena thinks she’s catching on.

It’s alright for a few minutes; there’s stuff going on with the husband and a housekeeper and the garden, but Lena’s a little unfocused now. Then Tate is back on screen, showing off his own wrist like it’s some trophy, but it’s _fine_ ; his scars are old and Lena can deal with this. She’s fine. Except then it’s back to Violet, and the cuts on her arm are still clearly cuts, are still bloody like she didn’t even _bandage_ them, and Lena slams her eyes shut again, clenches her hands into fists, and takes a deep shaky breath. Her eyes are still closed as she feels Maggie reach for the remote.

The sound of the show stops. Maggie doesn’t set the remote back down.

“I’m sorry,” Lena whispers, eyes still closed. Maggie’s hands coax Lena’s out of the fists they’re in.

“Don’t apologize, Lena.” Lena bites down on her lip, takes another breath.

“I’m sorry. We can keep watching,” she says as she opens her eyes. The show, though, isn’t just paused; it’s not even on the screen anymore, and Maggie’s looking at her like she doesn’t give a damn about what they watch.

“Are you okay, Lena?” Maggie asks softly. Lena winces.

“I’m fine, Detec— I’m fine, Maggie,” she says. Maggie smiles, soft but unconvinced.

“It’s okay if you’re not.” She pauses, but Lena doesn’t say anything.

“When was the last time you cut yourself?” Maggie asks, and it’s so straightforward, so non judgemental, that Lena just gapes at her for a second.

“I… September,” she says. “ _Last_ September. I’m _fine_ ,” she insists, and she’s grateful that Maggie ignores the way her voice cracks at the end. Maggie nods, rubbing her knee.

“Still, I’d rather watch something else, okay?” Lena sighs, hating that she's grateful for the way Maggie doesn't push her but refuses to what was bothering her continue, anyway.

“Okay,” she says, dejected.

Maggie’s just decided on Parks and Recreation—“You’ve _never_ seen Parks and Rec, Lena? Oh my god!” “I watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine, though. That’s close, right?” “While I admit that that is a fantastic show, you need to see Parks and Rec, too.”—when Lena gets an alert from the front desk that a delivery girl is here with food. She tells them to send her up. Lena moves to get her wallet from her purse before Maggie can reach into her own pocket.

“Lena, no. I’m buying you food,” Maggie says. Lena rolls her eyes.

“Please, Detective,” she says, and it’s more joking this time, even with all that Maggie somehow has managed to know about Lena tonight. “Let me. As a thank you.”

“It’s a lot of food, Lena. Like, a _lot_ of food. I didn’t know what you’d like and Alex and Kara should be coming over when they’re finished. Besides, you have nothing to thank me for. We’re friends.” Lena pretends she doesn’t almost faint when Maggie calls her her friend, but Maggie definitely notices anyway.

“Please. It would make me feel better. I’m sure I can afford it,” she tells her, one eyebrow raised. Maggie sighs, but doesn’t argue. There’s a knock at Lena’s door and Lena only hesitates a moment, thinking about her clothes and lack of makeup, before she moves to open it as Maggie gets up off the couch. The delivery girl—she can’t be more than eighteen—is struggling with two large paper bags and holding another plastic one in her hand, which Maggie quickly takes from her as Lena pays her the $148.40 for the insane amount of food with two hundred dollar bills, telling her to keep the change. Lena knows as well as the girl that it’s more than a thirty percent tip, but the bags were difficult to carry and Lena’s never been one to skimp out on tipping. She smiles as the girl splutters, telling her to have a lovely evening.

As she’s moving to close the door, the girl blurts out, “Ms. Luthor, wait.” Lena can’t help but wince at the sound of her name on someone’s lips, but she keeps the door open all the same.

“I just,” the girl starts, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I just wanted to tell you that what you did earlier was really brave. A few of us were watching in the restaurant. My friend cried. It was— I just wanted to thank you for that. Have a nice night,” she says, stepping away from the door and back toward the elevator. Lena, shocked, stands there for a moment before she remembers to close the door. When she turns around, Maggie is looking at her, eyes squinted in soft pride.

“C’mon, Luthor. Grab some dishes and utensils and some glasses of water. Alex just texted. She and Kara will be here in fifteen.” Lena does as she’s told, moving plates, bowls, forks, spoons, and knives over to the couch then taking another two trips to bring over water as Maggie sets out the food on the coffee table.

Lena sits back down next to Maggie, who’s already explaining to her which dishes are which as she spoons food onto her own plate. Lena first takes the palak paneer—her favorite—then adds a few other dishes. There’s not nearly as much on her own plate as their is on Maggie’s, but Lena’s not great at eating on a good day, and Maggie seems happy enough. Maggie starts the show as they settle in to wait for the Danvers sisters to arrive.

“Thank you,” Lena says a few minutes later. “For… I know it was inconvenient, but thank you for coming.”

“Anytime, Lena. I mean it. You’re never a bother,” Maggie says, patting Lena’s knee to assure her.

Lena feels a lot better by the time Kara and Alex get to her apartment. Kara unlocks the door with the key Lena gave her and looks like she might start crying as soon as she sees Lena. Seeing the food, and seeing Lena eating it, seem to make her feel a little better, but she still rushes toward her friend. Maggie takes Lena’s plate from her and holds it in her free hand as Lena stands up to accept Kara’s hug. “I’m okay,” she whispers against Kara’s neck, realizing that it’s mostly true. Kara nods furiously.

“Lena,” Kara says, voice thick. She pulls away slightly so Lena can see her face, can see the tears threatening to fall. “I am so, _so_ proud of you.” Lena blushes what she’s sure must be a dark, dark red.

“I, it was, no. It was, um, it wasn’t…”

“Kara’s right, Lena,” Alex says, stepping up behind Kara and shooting Lena a reassuring smile. “We’re sorry any of that happened,”—and Lena’s so, _so_ grateful she doesn’t say it out loud; she’s feeling better but that just might be too much—“but we are very proud of you. Sorry Kara and I couldn’t be here earlier. I hope Maggie didn’t bore you to death,” she grins.

“Hey!” Maggie protests. Lena smiles, and even Kara lets out a wet laugh. Kara steps back, giving Lena’s shoulders another squeeze before she toes off her shoes and shrugs off her jacket, moving to put them by Lena’s counter and motioning for Alex to do the same. Lena notices that they look comfortable—like they made an effort to put on something close to pajamas after finishing at the DEO—with Kara in grey sweatpants and a blue t-shirt and Alex wearing athletic tights and a grey NCPD t-shirt. Lena’s chest swells at the thought that they mean to stay with her. Maggie gives Lena's hand a squeeze.

When Alex and Kara walk back to the couch, Maggie scoots over some so Kara can fit between Lena and the arm of the couch, and Alex squeezes in next to Maggie on the other side. It’s cramped, but in a cozy way, and Lena doesn’t even mind that she can feel other people’s bodies pressed against her own. She accepts her plate back from Maggie as Kara and Alex start loading up their own.

Once they finish eating, Kara doesn’t let go of Lena’s hand. Maggie shifts so she’s sitting in Alex’s lap and there’s a little more space, which makes it easier for Lena to deal with the closeness coupled with the feeling of fatty food settling in her stomach. During the fourth episode of Parks and Rec, Lena realizes she’s been pinching her thigh with her free hand when Alex grabs it. She doesn’t let go, though, and Lena sees Maggie smiles when she notices.

At some point Maggie gets up to find blankets, and returns with a sheet and a couple blankets from Lena’s linen closet, turning off the overhead light as she moves back to the couch. She drapes the sheet over the four of them and hands one blanket over to Kara and Lena, wrapping the other around herself and Alex. Lena has never felt more loved, and she’s sure it’s clear on her face. They fall asleep with the TV still on, and when Lena wakes up the next morning—earlier than anyone else—she almost starts crying at the kindness of these three women, these women whom she thinks are becoming her family.


End file.
